Lesson
Focus
3
Eating Disorders
Overview
What You’ll Do
Before beginning this lesson,
review with your students the
objectives listed under the What
You’ll Do head in the Student
Edition. In this lesson, students
will learn about unhealthy eating
behaviors, fad diets, and eating
disorders.
■
Identify two characteristics
of a fad diet.
■
Describe three possible
causes of eating disorders.
■
Describe three types of
eating disorders.
Terms to Learn
• fad diet
Bellringer
Ask students to write down details
about a diet they have seen advertised. Have students write a brief
paragraph discussing the probable
effectiveness of this diet. (Answers
may vary.) LS Logical
Answer to Start Off Write
Accept all reasonable answers.
Sample answer: Eating disorders may
develop from a poor body image or
from unhealthy eating behaviors.
• eating disorder
• anorexia nervosa
• bulimia nervosa
• binge eating disorder
Start Off
Write
How do eating disorders
develop?
Johanna went on a fasting diet to lose
10 pounds. She wanted to look thinner for the
school dance. Johanna did not think about
how unhealthy she was being by not eating.
Johanna did not realize that she was developing an unhealthy
eating behavior. Fasting to lose weight is one example of an
unhealthy eating behavior.
Unhealthy Eating Behavior
Many people feel the need to have a perfect body to be accepted
or popular among their peers. Some people may change their
eating habits to become thinner or more muscular. For example,
people may skip meals, eat only certain foods, or eat large
amounts of food at one time. They may also use diet pills or follow unhealthy diets. These types of eating habits are called
unhealthy eating behaviors and can be very harmful.
The most common unhealthy eating behavior is following a
fad diet. Fad diets are eating plans that promise quick weight
loss with little effort. Most fad diets require you to buy special
products, such as pills or shakes. Fad diets often require you to
avoid many foods that are good sources of essential nutrients.
Unhealthy eating behaviors can affect a
teen’s growth, development, and ability to
learn. Unhealthy eating behaviors may
develop into an eating disorder. Eating disorders are illnesses that severely affect a
person’s body image and eating habits.
Motivate
Activity
GENERAL
Poster Project Tell students that
a 1996 study of college students
found that 58 percent of the
women and 38 percent of the men
were identified as being at risk for
developing an eating disorder. In
addition, the study discovered that
45 percent of the women believed
that they should have less than
12 percent body fat, when in fact
the healthy amount of body fat for
young women is 20 percent to
30 percent of body weight. Organize the class into groups and
ask the groups to use this information to design an eating disorder
information poster to be placed in
the school’s locker rooms and
gyms. LS Visual
120
Figure 4 Fad diets
usually require you to
buy special products,
which can be expensive.
120
INCLUSION
Strategies
• Gifted and Talented
Ask students to go on the Internet and
research fad diets such as the Grapefruit
Diet, the Protein Diet, and the Banana Diet.
Have them make charts explaining each of
the diets, and then lead a class discussion
about which of the diets are most/least
healthy and why. LS Logical
Chapter 6 • A Healthy Body, a Healthy Weight
Chapter Resource File
• Directed Reading
• Lesson Plan
• Lesson Quiz GENERAL
Transparencies
TT Bellringer
TT Some Causes of Eating Disorders
Overexercising
In addition to changing their eating habits, some people increase
their physical activity to lose weight. Regular exercise is healthy,
but some people exercise too much. When a person exercises
harder and for a longer period of time than is healthy, that person
is overexercising. People may overexercise because they are concerned about their weight or because they feel the need to be better
at athletics. These people risk getting injured and usually feel tired
all the time. They may also feel depressed. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that too much exercise can be dangerous.
Teach
SKILL
BUILDER
Assessing Your Health Have students keep track of all the physical
activity in which they participate for
one week. Have them determine
how often they exercise and what
the intensity of the exercise is. Then,
have them determine whether they
exercise too little, enough, or too
much. Encourage students to identify how they could change their
lifestyle to get the right amount of
physical activity. LS Intrapersonal
What Is an Eating Disorder?
Both unhealthy eating behaviors and overexercising can be dangerous. They can harm a person’s growth and development. Or
they can develop into an eating disorder. An eating disorder is
a disease in which a person has an unhealthy concern with his
or her body weight and shape. Eating disorders are very
complex. They can be caused by many factors. Three factors are
low self-esteem, emotional problems, and poor body image.
Other factors are pressure from peers to be thin and a history of
physical or emotional abuse.
Eating disorders are dangerous to a person’s physical and emotional health. Some physical effects of eating disorders include
dangerous digestive problems and heart failure. Some emotional
effects are depression and anxiety. Eating disorders can affect
anyone—boys, girls, men, and women of all cultures and ethnicities. Examples of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa (AN uh
REKS ee uh nuhr VOH suh), bulimia nervosa (boo LEE mee uh
nuhr VOH suh), and binge eating disorder. People who develop
anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa often suffer from poor body
image and low self-esteem. People who develop binge eating disorder often suffer from emotional problems and low self-esteem.
GENERAL
Debate
Risks of Poor Body Image
Tell students that the glorification of thinness and the fear of
fatness that leads to dieting is a primary risk factor for eating disorders. Explain that eating disorders
are the third most common chronic
illness among American adolescent
females. Also, poor body image is
one of the primary precursors and
predictors of later struggles with
eating disorders. Have students use
this information to debate the best
ways to decrease the incidences
of eating disorders in the United
States. Then, organize students into
groups and have them write a proposal listing their solutions. The
groups should then present their
proposals to the class. They may
wish to use a multimedia presentation. LS Visual/Verbal
Writing
In the United States, 5 million to 10 million girls and
women and 1 million boys
and men struggle with
eating disorders.
TABLE 2 Some Causes of Eating Disorders
Depression
Feelings of lack of control in one’s life
History of physical or sexual abuse
Troubled family and personal relationships
Low self-esteem
Unhealthy body image
121
Background
Eating Disorders Eating disorders are physically damaging, but often, eating disorders are
considered to be a type of mental disorder. In
fact, morbidity and mortality rates for eating
disorders rank the highest for all mental disorders. The most successful and lasting treatment
for an eating disorder includes some form of
psychotherapy or psychological counseling, in
addition to medical attention.
REAL-LIFE
CONNECTION
Sports Shocker Christy Henrich tried out
for the 1988 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team.
She was four feet eleven inches tall and
weighed 95 pounds. A gymnastic judge told
her that she was too fat to make the team,
so Christy went on a starvation diet and lost
around 35 pounds. She became so thin that
her body could no longer perform life functions, and she died of multiple organ failure.
Lesson 3 • Eating Disorders
121
Anorexia Nervosa
Teach, continued
continued
Group Activity
GENERAL
Role-Playing Dieting Organize
students into pairs. Have one student play the role of someone
engaged in a dangerous dieting
practice, and have the other play
the role of a sympathetic but worried friend. The first student should
disagree with the fact that dieting
can be dangerous. The second student should express his or her concerns and tell the first student that
dieting can lead to a serious eating
disorder. As a class, discuss why a
person with an eating disorder
needs more help than a friend can
provide and what teens can do if
they have serious concerns about
a friend. LS Kinesthetic
READING
SKILL
BUILDER
Discussion Have students read
the sections on anorexia nervosa
and bulimia nervosa. Then, have
students discuss what they have
read in groups. In addition, ask
them to talk about how they would
feel if one of their friends had an
eating disorder. LS Interpersonal
Myth: Eating disorders
are only phases of heavy
dieting.
Fact: Eating disorders
are illnesses, not phases.
Professional help from a
psychiatrist or other doctor
is necessary to recover
from an eating disorder.
Anorexia nervosa is a disease in which a person has a great fear
of gaining weight. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that
includes self-starvation, an unhealthy body image, and extreme
weight loss. People who develop anorexia nervosa also suffer
from low self-esteem. They are very scared of becoming fat even
though they are very thin. They usually starve themselves or eat
only foods that are low in Calories and fat. They may spend
more time playing with food than eating it. They may also wear
many layers of clothing to hide their weight loss. If left
untreated, a person with this disease may develop kidney and
heart problems. In severe cases, a person suffering from
anorexia nervosa may starve to death.
Bulimia Nervosa
Organizing Information
Make a set of flashcards
that will help you identify
the characteristics of each
eating disorder discussed in
this lesson.
Bulimia nervosa is a disease in which a person has difficulty controlling how much he or she eats. Bulimia nervosa is an eating
disorder in which a person eats a large amount of food and then
tries to rid their body of the food. A person who has this disease
usually eats large amounts of food at one time, which is called
bingeing (BINJ ing). After bingeing, the person may make himself
or herself vomit. Or he or she may take laxatives or diuretics to
eliminate some of the food. The act of ridding the body of food is
called purging (PUHRJ ing). This “binge and purge” cycle
damages a person’s health. The person will suffer from a lack of
nutrients. And the acid that comes up from the stomach when a
person vomits eats away at the gums and teeth. A person with
bulimia may also have swollen jaws and cheeks and stained teeth.
TABLE 3 Some Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa
A person with anorexia nervosa may…
A person with bulimia nervosa may…
eat only low-fat or low-Calorie foods
spend a lot of time thinking about food
play with his or her food but not eat it
steal food or hide food in strange places
wear baggy clothes to hide his or her
thinness
take trips to the bathroom immediately
after eating
overexercise
make himself or herself throw up after eating
overexercise
122
Background
Understanding Bulimia Unlike someone with
anorexia nervosa, a person with bulimia nervosa may appear healthy. However, there are
some warning signs. These include depression,
an inability to sleep well, talking about suicide,
a fear of appearing fat, and purchasing large
quantities of food. Bulimia nervosa can lead to
malnutrition and other health problems.
122
Chapter 6 • A Healthy Body, a Healthy Weight
MISCONCEPTION
ALERT
Students may think that a person with
anorexia nervosa just doesn’t want to listen
to those offering help. People who suffer
from anorexia nervosa are incapable of recognizing the danger of their condition.
Medical intervention is imperative.
Binge Eating Disorder
People who have binge eating disorder often feel as though they
cannot stop themselves from eating. Binge eating disorder is a
disease in which a person has difficulty controlling how much
he or she eats but does not purge. In many cases, a person who
has this disease suffers from depression as well. People who suffer from this disease usually become very overweight. In many
cases, a person may become obese. Obesity is a condition in
which a person has a large percentage of body fat. Obesity
results in many health problems such as increased cholesterol
levels, high blood pressure, diabetes, and increased risk for heart
disease, stroke, and cancer.
MAKING GOOD
DECISIONS
Answer
Imagine you think that
your friend may have an
eating disorder. How would
you help your friend?
Answers may vary.
Extension: Ask students to
write down what they would
do if they felt that they had an
eating disorder.
Close
Giving and Getting Help
If you think you or a friend may
have an eating disorder, it is very
important that you tell a trusted
adult about your feelings. This
adult may be a parent or teacher.
You can also talk to the school
nurse, school counselor, or even a
doctor. An adult can help you or a
friend get professional help as soon
as possible. Eating disorders are
serious diseases that can damage
your health. Even though getting
help may be very hard, it is the best
decision for your health.
Reteaching
Role-Play Have students role-play
a discussion between a counselor
and a student. The student should
pretend to have an eating disorder
and should describe the symptoms
of the eating disorder until the
counselor can make a correct diagnosis. Once the counselor has diagnosed the disorder, he or she
should give the student advice
about what to do to treat the eating disorder. LS Logical
Figure 5 The first step in getting help for an eating
disorder is to talk to a parent or other trusted adult.
Quiz
GENERAL
1. What are the health risks of
Using Vocabulary
1. What are two characteristics of
a fad diet?
2. What is an eating disorder?
Understanding Concepts
3. Describe three types of eating
disorders.
4. Why are eating disorders
dangerous to a person’s health?
5. What are three possible causes
bulimia nervosa? (tooth and gum
decay, swollen jaw and cheeks,
not getting enough nutrients to
perform regular body functions)
www.scilinks.org/health
Topic:
HealthLinks code:
of eating disorders?
2. What eating disorder leads to
Critical Thinking
obesity? (binge eating disorder)
6. Making Good Decisions You notice
3. What eating disorder is charac-
that your friend has been exercising
a lot lately. He is also very concerned
about how his body looks. You think
that he is developing unhealthy eating
behaviors. Would you talk to your
friend? If so, what would you say?
terized by self-starvation?
(anorexia nervosa)
123
Answers to Lesson Review
1. Fad diets may require you to buy expensive
products and to avoid foods that are high in
essential nutrients.
2. An eating disorder is a disease in which a person has an unhealthy concern with his or her
body weight and shape.
3. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder in which
a person starves himself or herself in order to
be thin; bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder in
which a person eats a large amount of food
and then purges the food from his or her body;
and binge eating disorder is an eating disorder
in which a person eats a large amount of food
at one time but does not purge.
4. Some eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, prevent a person
from getting the nutrients he or she needs to
survive. But, all of these illnesses may result in
death.
5. Answers may vary. Sample answer: Three
causes of eating disorders may be poor
body image, depression, or troubled family
relationships.
6. Sample answer: Yes, I would talk to him
about his problem and tell him where he could
go for help. If he did not stop his behavior,
I would go to talk to his parents.
Alternative
Assessment
GENERAL
Public Service
Announcement Have students write a radio public service
announcement discussing the dangers of eating disorders and telling
people how to get help if they
think they may have an eating disorder. Students can read their
announcement on tape and play
the tape to the class. LS Auditory
Writing
Lesson 3 • Eating Disorders
123